Job seeker finds job in tough times

Friday, September 02, 2011 - 02:09

Sept. 2 - Marion Hughes is one of the lucky ones. The U.S. labor market is sliding backwards with payrolls unchanged in August, but some Americans are finding a job despite weak hiring. Jill Bennett reports.

▲ Hide Transcript

▶ View Transcript

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
This summer there is time to walk the dog and take a break...after two years of unemployment and anxiety, Marion Hughes is newly employed with a job she calls a perfect match. Still, this economy creates some unease even for the fortunate ones.
SOUNDBITE: MARION HUGHES, V.P. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FOR THE AMERICAS, RATEGAIN (ENGLISH) SAYING:
"I feel very fortunate and I think the more fortunate you feel and the luckier you are, the more you realize you have to lose if for some reason things change and the economy takes a turn in a way, and they have to make a decision. I don't think that will happen in this scenario but it's still not like before when you felt really comfortable."
We profiled Hughes during her job search last summer. Hughes was hired in May at India-based hospitality solutions provider RateGain, which provides business intelligence to the major online travel sites, airlines and hotel chains. She is Vice President of Business Development for the Americas.
SOUNDBITE: MARION HUGHES, V.P. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FOR THE AMERICAS, RATEGAIN (ENGLISH) SAYING:
"To be surrounded by people I am learning from and am so impressed with, it's probably the best time in my career I've never had that as much as I've had with these people.'
Hughes credits networking for her new position. She works, from home, for a former boss.
Hughes is one of the lucky ones.
The latest jobs report shows hiring ground to a halt in August. Employers added zero jobs last month and the unemployment rate held steady at 9.1%.
The White House announced plans to detail a new jobs plan next week.
Robert Johnson, Director of Economic Analysis at Morningstar:
SOUNDBITE: ROBERT JOHNSON, DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS, MORNINGSTAR (ENGLISH) SAYING:
"Ground zero for getting the employment number better for me is to do something in the housing market there's a lot of even little regulatory things they can do, appraisals have been a real problem; overly aggressive bank examiners have been a problem."
That said, Johnson thinks the White House measures are more likely to include a payroll tax credit extension, infrastructure spending on highways and buildings, and possibly incentives for employers who add jobs; proposals that will be closely watched by the 14 million unemployed.
Jill Bennett, Reuters

Reuters is the news and media division of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Learn more about Thomson Reuters products: